Emma Potter; Going to War

57: Slytherin's Slughorn

Despite the fact that we had spent every waking moment ofthe past few days hoping desperately that Dumbledorewould indeed come to fetch us, I felt distinctly awkward as we set off down Privet Drive together. 

We had never had a properconversation with the headmaster outside of Hogwarts before;there was usually a desk between us. The memory of our lastface-to-face encounter kept intruding too, and it rather heightened my sense of embarrassment; we had shouted a lot on that occasion, not to mention done our best to smash several of Dumbledore's most prized possessions.

 Dumbledore, however, seemed completely relaxed.

 "Keep your wands at the ready, Harry,Emma" he said brightly.

 "But I thought we're not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?" said Harry

 "If there is an attack," said Dumbledore, "I give you permissionto use any counterjinx or curse that might occur to you. However,I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."

"Why not, sir?"

 "You are with me," said Dumbledore simply. "This will do."

 He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive. 

"You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said. 

"No,"I said. "I thought you had to be seventeen?" 

"You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to myarm and eachother very tightly. My left, if you don't mind — as you have noticed,my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment." 

Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm, and I gripped Harry's. 

"Very good," said Dumbledore. "Well, here we go."

 I felt Harry's arm twist away from me and redoubled my grip; the next thing I knew, everything went black; I was being pressed very hard from all directions; I could notbreathe, there were iron bands tightening around my chest; my eyeballs were being forced back into my head; my eardrums were beingpushed deeper into my skull and then — 

I gulped great lungfuls of cold night air and opened my streaming eyes. I felt as though I had just been forced througha very tight rubber tube. It was a few seconds before I realized that my brother looked nauseated and thatPrivet Drive had vanished. 

We and Dumbledore were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the centerof which stood an old war memorial and a few benches. My comprehension catching up with my senses, I realized that he hadjust Apparated for the first time in my life. 

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, looking down at us solicitously. "The sensation does take some getting used to." 

"I'm fine," said Harry, rubbing his ears, "But I think I mightprefer brooms. . . ."

 Dumbledore smiled, drew his traveling cloak a little moretightly around his neck, and said, "This way." 

He set off at a brisk pace, past an empty inn and a few houses.According to a clock on a nearby church, it was almost midnight. 

"So tell me, Harry,Emma" said Dumbledore. "Your scars . . . have they beenhurting at all?"

 Harry raised a hand unconsciously to his forehead and rubbedthe lightning-shaped mark. 

"No," I said, "and I've been wondering about that. I thought itwould be burning all the time now Voldemort's getting so powerful again."

I glanced up at Dumbledore and saw that he was wearing asatisfied expression.